


Tuesday, bloody Tuesday

by RedWingedHussar



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Blood Magic, Character Death, Established Relationship, Fantasy, Gen, M/M, Surgery, Swearing, Violence, psychic link
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-10
Updated: 2017-06-10
Packaged: 2018-11-12 12:54:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11162262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedWingedHussar/pseuds/RedWingedHussar
Summary: A group of sorcerers plan to perform a ritual that will turn Ludwig into one of the most powerful beings in history. If they succeed, they’ll use him to take control of every country they want. Arthur and Yao are having none of that.





	Tuesday, bloody Tuesday

**Author's Note:**

> Sigrid - Nyo!Norway
> 
> Anya - Nyo!Russia
> 
> Marianne - Nyo!France
> 
> Madeleine - Nyo!Canada
> 
> Leon - Hong Kong

Nothing good ever happened to Arthur on Tuesdays, so he already knew the letter was bad news when he saw it. However, he didn’t expect them to be so infuriating.

“How does he dare to call himself a professional? ‘Not worth killing,’ he says. Unbelievable.” He sighed. “Do you think we should hire another one?”

Yao looked pensive.

“I don’t know, aru. Maybe Vargas is protected by a spell."

Arthur sighed again. If that was true, killing him wouldn’t be an option.

“I didn’t want to do this, but it seems we’ll have to interfere directly.”

“Do you have something in mind, aru?”

Fortunately, he had already thought of a Plan B.

“It’s a bit risky, but they probably won’t be expecting it. Let’s go to the lab, I’ll explain it there.”

*****

Yao extracted some blood from Arthur’s arm and put it in a beaker. Then, he dunked the electrode of the magic meter in it and waited.

“56,” he said.

Arthur noted it down. Yao took two more readings and made the calculations.

“Alright, so we’re going to need 12.6 grams of cerium oxide and the diameter of the sphere must be 5 centimetres.”

Arthur frowned.

“Are you sure? It seems too much.”

“Well, Sigrid said that Ludwig’s sensitive field had a radius of 212 metres, so I estimate-”

“Wait, how much is that in feet?”

“Almost 700, aru.”

Arthur felt like his body had turned into lead. Fearing his legs wouldn’t be able to sustain him, he sat down.

“I need a fucking drink.”

“Then go get it, aru.”

“Fine,” he said as he stood up and headed for the magic circle, “don’t be nice to the idiot who’s going to sacrifice his magic. I don’t give a damn.”

He teleported back to their bedroom and went to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of whiskey and gulped it down in one swig.

He had known it was a critical situation, but he hadn’t realized just how dire it was until that moment. If Beilschmidt and her sycophants managed to perform the ritual, they would have the most fearsome of weapons in their hands. Hell, they already had a pretty powerful one.

Then, he heard Yao come in.

“Are you sure you want to do this, aru?”

“We don’t have many options left. Someone has to stop them before they start trying to conquer the world.”

“It doesn’t have to be you, aru.”

Arthur turned around to face him.

“A gentleman doesn’t force others to do things he wouldn’t be willing to do.”

He knew what Yao was going to say even before that familiar smile illuminated the room.

“I don’t see any gentleman here, aru.”

“You bloody idiot,” said Arthur before kissing him.

*****

“So the plan has failed,” said Sigrid.

Arthur nodded sulkily. He and Yao were sitting in Sigrid’s living room. Anya was there too.

“We think Vargas has some kind of amulet,” he said.

“That’s not surprising, Beilschmidt is quite good at casting protective spells.”

“You could’ve said something.”

Sigrid shrugged.

“It wasn’t such a bad idea.”

“Why is he so important to them anyway? Locked mages are not _that_ rare, so why bother making an amulet for him? That’s a huge waste of money and time, in my opinion.”

“I have no idea.” She took a sip of coffee. “Well, it seems we need another plan. Do you have any suggestions?”

“We think we’ll have to tamper with the ritual itself, aru.”

“And how do you plan to do it?”

“We’re going to trick Ludwig into getting linked to Arthur and then we’ll implant an iron sphere in Arthur’s body to seal their magic.”

Then, the interrogation began. Arthur knew Sigrid wouldn’t let them do anything until she was sure the plan was solid.

“How are you going to trick him?”

“We’ll swap a cup with my blood for Vargas’ and his for Ludwig’s,” said Arthur.

“You’ll have to get inside the temple for that and I’m sure there will be many guards.”

“We’ll use teleportation. We'll be gone before they can ask for reinforcerments.”

“Do you know anyone who’s ever been there?”

Arthur and Yao glanced at each other.

“We thought you did.”

“Oh,” said Anya, “I know someone who has!”

*****

“ _Bon soir, mon cher!_ ”

Arthur growled.

“Don’t be so rude, my dear,” said Marianne, “give me a kiss!”

“I’d rather kiss a swine’s arse!”

“As charming as always. How are you, Yao?”

“Fine, thank you. I hope you’re doing well too.”

Arthur didn’t understand how Yao could remain so cheerful around Marianne.

“Finally, a true gentleman!” she said. “By the way, where’s Sigrid?”

“She needed to pee, aru.”

“Yao!” said Arthur.

“What? You’ve been married; you should know women have that kind of bodily functions, too.”

“Yes, but there’s no need to be so blunt!”

“It certainly could have been said in a less vulgar way,” said Marianne, “but I think I agree with him. Some people are too prudish when it comes to discussing the female body.”

Arthur huffed.

“Unbelievable.” He decided to change the subject. “So, how’s Madeleine?”

“Our sweet summer rose is doing very well. She’s learning to play the flute now, did you know? I couldn’t have wished for a better daughter.”

Arthur had to make an effort not to smile. Marianne might have been a mistake, but Madeleine sure hadn’t.

“I’ll have to go visit her someday.”

Yao smiled softly. He doted on the girl too. Arthur tried not to think of Leon.

Sigrid appeared right then.

“Good evening, Marianne. Thank you for accepting to help us.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I had already heard some very worrying rumours about that Ludwig, so I didn’t hesitate when you asked for my help. By the way, doesn’t he have a surname?”

“I think he doesn’t, aru.”

“I doubt he’s even human,” said Anya.

“Maybe you're right,” said Sigrid. “I’ve never heard of any ordinary human who had such a large sensitive field.”

“And what about the effective one?” said Arthur.

“We don’t know for sure, but I think it must have a radius of at least 30 metres.”

“Over 98 feet, aru.”

“… Anya, did you bring vodka?”

“Of course! Do you want some?”

“No, thank you,” said Yao. “We all need to stay sober, aru.”

“Not me,” said Arthur. “I might regain my sanity if I don’t get drunk quickly.”

“I’ll let you drink when we’re finished, aru.”

“Alright, let’s talk about the plan,” said Sigrid. “Now we have someone who can teleport you to the temple. How are you going to keep them from discovering the ploy?”

“We’ll add cerium oxide to my blood and barium to Vargas',” said Arthur. “Also, we should probably steal some stuff so that they don’t suspect we were aiming for the goblets.”

Anya and Marianne nodded.

“Very well,” said Sigrid, “but you and Ludwig have to drink at the same time. How are you going to do that if we can’t get too close to the temple without being discovered?”

“We could link a brass talisman to a mirror and hide it near the altar, aru.”

“We’ll still have to be near them for the link to form and it might break if we get away too soon. What if they attack us while I’m operating on Arthur? Hell, I might even have to do it in the middle of a field.”

“They won’t disturb you, aru!” said Yao confidently. “They’d have to get past me first, aru.”

“I can fight them too,” said Anya.

“I’m afraid I can only help you get inside the temple,” said Marianne, “but I wish you luck.”

Sigrid nodded, apparently satisfied.

“Still, I think we shouldn’t use general anaesthesia in case we need your help, Arthur,” she said.

He immediately looked at Yao.

“Can I drink now?”

“Sure, aru.”

“Alright, I think I’ll-

“Here, have some tea, aru.”

*****

The ritual required the blood to be exposed to moonlight for at least six hours. That meant it would probably start on a clear full moon night to increase the chance of success.

That was the following _Tuesday_.

“Fuck this shit, I quit!” said Arthur. He was alone with Yao in their bedroom. “You’ll have to find someone else.”

“You can’t quit now, aru! I’d have to make my calculations again and maybe prepare more cerium oxide and get another sphere. And where am I going to find another suicidal mage, aru?”

“I don’t know, ask Marianne! Or Anya!”

Yao snorted.

“I doubt they’d give up their magic, aru.”

“You might be surprised. _I_ never thought I’d ever give it up.”

Yao looked at him thoughtfully.

“Wait a moment, aru.”

He walked towards the wardrobe and started rummaging through it until he found a small package wrapped up in silk.

“Here, open it. I bought this for your birthday, but- Well, I thought I should give it to you now.”

Arthur took the gift and did as he was told, revealing a wooden kitten. It was painted bright red and gold, and its eyes were made of jade.

“It will bring you luck, aru.”

“Thank you, Yao. Actually, I’ve got something for you too.”

It was nothing special, just the picture of a rabbit drawn in a Chinese style. He retrieved it from its hiding place under a loose plank and handed it to his lover.

He had always been in awe with Yao’s smile. Right then, it shone like the snow on a sunny day.

“It’s so cute, aru! Thank you.”

“It’s your sign, isn’t it?”

“That’s right.”

“It suits you.” Arthur knew they both needed a distraction. “Mine must be the Dragon.”

“No, you were born in the Year of the Rooster, remember?”

Arthur got closer to him and slid a hand down his chest.

“I know, but you told me once that Chinese dragons fancied old men.”

“Don’t taunt me, young man!” said Yao, though his grin could probably have been seen from the Moon. “You wouldn’t like to face my wrath, aru.”

“And what if I do?”

Being thrown onto a bed and enthusiastically fucked by the man he loved was definitely not the worst thing that had ever happened to Arthur. He thanked whoever was listening for Fridays.

*****

When they arrived at Sigrid’s house, Marianne was already drawing the magic circle. While they waited, they went to the kitchen. Arthur kissed Yao furtively.

“Be careful.”

“You too.”

They stayed there drinking tea until Marianne called them. She and Anya were already in the magic circle. Sigrid wasn’t coming with them.

Arthur and Yao stepped into the circle and Marianne recited the spell. The room blurred and faded. A few seconds later, they were inside the temple.

Arthur rushed towards the altar. First, he enchanted the cup containing his blood to make it identical to the other two and added the cerium oxide to diminish the trace of magic. Then, he added the barium to Vargas’ blood to amplify that trace. Finally, he swapped the goblets. He hoped he hadn’t made any mistake.

Meanwhile, Marianne had put the brass talisman –a button– in front of a window. They both returned to the circle and waited for the others. They could hear shouts and the noise of various things hitting flesh coming from the next room.

Finally, Yao and Anya came back with several books and papers. Their clothes were stained with blood, but they didn’t seem to be hurt.

“Let’s get out of here, aru!”

They teleported back to the living room, where Sigrid was waiting for them.

“Is everyone alright?” she asked when they appeared.

“Yes,” said Anya. “The guards were too slow.”

“Very well, let’s go.”

“Good luck,” said Marianne.

“Thanks, we’re going to need it.”

*****

Anya woke them up when the ritual started. They had found an abandoned house near the temple and they had been taking turns to look through the magic mirror. The goblet was near a window, receiving both the moonlight and the residual magic that emanated from the temple.

Arthur lied down on a bed, getting mentally prepared for the operation. Sigrid drew out her surgical instruments.

“Don’t move,” she said.

At first, it didn’t hurt. The obsidian knife canalized Sigrid’s power, numbing the surrounding tissue. She cut through skin and flesh until she reached the abdominal cavity. Then, she concentrated on keeping the blood from spilling.

“Here, look,” said Anya, holding the mirror in front of Arthur.

The image was a bit blurry, but it was clear enough to recognize them. Ludwig and Vargas were in the middle of the image. Behind them stood Beilschmidt, facing away from the altar.

There was another familiar face in the crowd that surrounded them.

“Kiku…”

They knew he would be there, but it was a low blow for Yao anyway. Arthur wanted to hold his hand and comfort him, but he didn’t dare to do it in public.

Beilschmidt took the goblets and handed them to the two men. Yao helped Arthur sit up and held the cup for him. The taste was really strong, like wine. As he drank, he felt how the link started to develop. The power rushed through him like a river. It was overwhelming.

Under all that magic, he could also feel something else. Ludwig’s emotions were passing through the link and the strongest one, to Arthur’s surprise, was love, solid and deep. It made him feel even worse about what was going to happen, but he had just passed the point of no return.

Sigrid’s hands left his body to grab the iron sphere. He couldn’t keep from groaning when the pain got a hold on him, gnawing on his insides like a beast. Then Sigrid started trying to make the ball fit inside him and it was too much. His scream probably gave them away, but he couldn’t even care.

By the time the pain remitted a little, Yao had grabbed his hand and was squeezing it.

“Don’t do that, you bugger!” He hadn’t felt worse in his entire life, but that only made him want to shout more. “This already looks too much like a reverse C-section!”

“Don’t yell at me, aru! I was just trying to comfort you. And I don’t think you’d be conscious if this was a C-section.”

“That’s because surgeons use this little thing called ‘anaesthesia’! Have you ever heard of it?”

“You agreed to this, aru.”

“I’ve changed my mind!”

At least arguing with Yao distracted him a bit from the pain. Sigrid used some kind of ointment to soothe it, but it was still there.

Then, he felt Ludwig’s confusion and alarm. He must have felt Arthur's suffering and maybe the fading of his own magic. And it seemed like he was running.

“I can sense him through the link," said Arthur. “He’s coming our way and I doubt he’s alone.”

Yao immediately let go of Arthur’s hand, stood up and grabbed his trusty wok.

“Do whatever you want,” he said to Anya, “but Honda is mine, aru.”

She nodded and grinned nastily. Her shovel glinted in the semi-darkness as they left the room.

Arthur closed his eyes and concentrated. Soon, he was looking through Ludwig’s eyes. He was with Beilschmidt, Honda and a bunch of sorcerers. Vargas was there too; Ludwig glanced at him constantly.

Arthur could feel that Sigrid was sewing his wound, but the pain had faded almost entirely, so he focused on what was happening outside. Yao and Anya had exited the house and were waiting for the enemy to approach them. Beilschmidt, Honda, Ludwig and Vargas stayed behind while all the others ran towards the house.

Anya froze several of them at once. Yao used his power to increase his speed and strength and then started kicking and swinging his wok around. They fought like demons, decimating the enemy forces.

Then, Honda decided to join the fight. He unsheathed his katana and charged at Yao. The sword met the cooking vessel and both men clashed with the violence of two tigers. They exchanged blows so fast it was difficult to tell what was going on.

Meanwhile, Anya faced Beilschmidt, who used a defensive spell to make her effective field impenetrable. The Russian just smirked and used her magic to try to erode the magic shield. Ludwig and Vargas, who were under the shield too, could only watch helplessly.

After several minutes, the wok hit Honda’s hand, forcing him to drop the katana. Fast as a snake, Yao grabbed it and broke it over his knee. He yelled something in Chinese. Honda shook his head. Yao took a step forward and shouted again, but he received the same answer. Then, his fist pierced the other man’s chest. Honda grabbed Yao’s forearm and fell to his knees, dragging his former mentor with him. Yao held him in his arms.

Finally, Anya managed to break Beilschmidt’s spell and enter her effective field.

“ _Lauft!_ ” said the Prussian, glancing towards Ludwig and Vargas. “ _Jetzt!_ ”

“ _Ich verlasse dich nicht!_ ” said Ludwig.

“ _Du kannst nicht mir helfen! Lauf!_ ”

Vargas attempted to run away, but Anya used her magic to knock him to the ground and hold him there. Ludwig fell too, but Beilschmidt was able to neutralize the spell and drew out her sword. Anya was waiting for her, but the other woman turned out to be a very good fighter. She wounded the Russian in the thigh and the shoulder and was on the verge of dealing a lethal blow several times. Anya couldn't cast an actively damaging spell while Vargas was inside her effective field because of his amulet, so all she could use was her shovel.

“Yao, get up and help me!" she said.

He reluctantly let go of Honda's body and stood up. In a heartbeat, he was kneeling beside Vargas, removing a cross –the amulet– from the Italian's neck.

“Feliciano!" said Ludwig.

“No, wait, don't hurt them!" said Beilschmidt.

That brief distraction was all that Anya needed. She raised her shovel and smashed Beilschmidt’s skull.

“Hedwig!” 

The sudden surge of sorrow made Arthur wince. He decided he'd already had enough. He was about to cast a spell to amplify his voice when he remembered he couldn't do that anymore.

“Sigrid, tell them to stop!”

“What?”

“Do it!”

“STOP!”

Everyone looked towards the house. Anya, who had already lifted her shovel again to kill Ludwig, lowered her weapon a bit, leaving it suspended in mid air.

“SIGRID,” said Yao, “I DON’T THINK WE SHOULD-“

“Say you want to talk to them.”

“BRING THEM HERE. WE WANT TO TALK TO THEM.”

Anya grabbed Ludwig and lifted him while Yao helped Vargas to his feet. Arthur could feel Ludwig was somewhat relieved, but his grief was too acute to ignore.

When the four of them entered the bedroom, Vargas immediately sought refuge behind Ludwig. The German said something Arthur didn’t understand and Sigrid answered him. They talked briefly and then Sigrid turned towards Arthur.

“He wants to rest here for a while before leaving.”

“Were will they go?"

“He still doesn't know."

Arthur looked at the others. Yao seemed to be pondering something. Anya just yawned.

“I don’t really care,” said the Russian, “I’m going back to the city right now. I’ll spend a few more days there and then I’ll return to St. Petersburg.”

After saying that, she just left. Sigrid stood up.

“I think I’ll go with her, if you don’t need me.”

“Go, we’ll be fine.”

She nodded, said something to Ludwig and followed Anya. When Arthur was sure they had left, he beckoned Yao. He raised his eyebrows and glanced towards Ludwig and Vargas, but Arthur insisted until he gave in and lied down beside him. Ludwig relaxed a bit, nodded and led Vargas out of the room.

Yao began stroking Arthur’s hair.

“Are you alright, aru? Does it hurt?”

“Not really, but not having magic feels a bit funny. What about you?”

The smile Yao gave him wasn't the best he had, but it seemed genuine. 

“I’ll be fine, aru. Try to sleep a little, I’ll be right here.”

Arthur sighed and closed his eyes. Miraculously, he had survived another Tuesday.

**Author's Note:**

> "You told me once that Chinese dragons fancied old men": https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_themes_in_Chinese_mythology#Supernatural_encounters


End file.
